Introduction

They may not mean to make you blush, but they will. In their debut collection of essays, Awkward Moments with Men, Shannon Miller and Megan Byrd create an uninhibited and earnest portrait of what it is to love and lust as young women stammering through perils of the modern world. Startlingly smart and vulnerable, the blonde and the brunette, the Canadian and the American, bear more than their fair share of snark and indignity as they tell stories of everything from going on a blind date in Bali to discovering a beloved relative's treasure trove of ethnic internet pornography.

Belonging in the hapless, hilarious, if not slightly sordid family of wordsmiths, Awkward Moments with Men introduces two strikingly original and endearing voices into the literary landscape. May you laugh, commiserate, and start a fund to help them pay for all therapy they're going to need once their parents read this.

Q&A WITH THE AUTHORS

Would you recommend this book to children?
Of course! Children love books. They also love those pointy, metal tines that forks have and uncovered light-sockets.

Did you both really write this thing, or was it like Pussycat Dolls where one of you did all the work and the other gyrated and lip-synched in the background?
We both really wrote this thing. Of course whenever we weren't tippy-typing away on our Macbooks we spent the vast majority of our leisure time gyrating and lip-synching which naturally, we also did together. After all, you can't spell Pussycat Dolls without us.

Have you been sued yet?
Not yet, but we'd welcome the opportunity to get in touch with our ex-boyfriends.

If this book is turned into an HBO TV series - because, obviously, it should be - who would play you?
We think about this all the time, and we are SO glad you asked. Cate Blanchett would be cast as Megan because she's played both Bob Dylan and Queen Elizabeth. The character of Megan is pretty much a perfect combination of both. The role of Shannon would be played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Partly, because they have the same color hair as her, but mostly because she likes twins.

On a scale of 1-10, how embarrassed are your future children going to be when they read this?
Probably a hard 8, but they'll get beat up for tons of other reasons too. The awkward gene is hereditary, so this book will probably be the least of their worries.

Last but not least: Why should anyone spend 15 of their very good dollars purchasing this book? Because unlike the bag full of McRibs you planned to spend the money on, Awkward Moments With Men will not contribute to the rise of diabetes.

Editorial Review

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Excerpt

Five
the officer who stamped my passport
I don’t know what to do, so I ask for another bottle of wine. I tell myself this is okay because they’re miniature and my conscience permits multiples of anything smaller than a foosball man. The flight attendant brings me another single serving chardonnay, and I make fists with my toes. I click the map on the TV embedded in the headrest in front of me. The little white plane hovers somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, no land in sight except for a small island or two that appear to be the size of toasted pine nuts. Six hours down. Four to go. Temperature outside: -60 degrees. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

What can we say? We’ve put this page in here on the ill-advised hopes that not only has more than one person read this book, but that at least two people who live in the same state have read it and are trekking two hours to an Interstate rest stop to discuss the fascinating inner workings of our awkward experiences and thoughts.
We are floored. And honored. And hope someone remembered the wine.
1) We’re all horribly awkward human beings from the very day we are born, each and every darling one of us. Do you think there is a dominantly awkward sex? Why?
2) You have to date one of the awkward men in this book . . . Who’s the lucky guy?
3) Obviously this book is going to be picked up by some star spangled Hollywood studio. Cast a few of your favorite characters, and explain your selections.
4) Do relationships with the opposite sex get more or less awkward over time?
5) What is the worst “meet the parents” story you have in your arsenal?
6) Which story in this book wins gold in the “Most Painfully Uncomfortable Situation” category at the next Olympic games?
7) Eating is almost always awkward, especially when you’re trying to seduce the person across the table. What is the most awkward date food and why?
8) If the Blonde and the Brunette were to brighten the world with another tome in their awkward series, what would you like to read next? Awkward Moments with (fill in the blank).
9) Do you think it’s important to talk about awkward moments or just ignore them and hope they disappear?
10) Don’t pretend you didn’t know this was coming! We’ve all had our fair share of awkward moments . . . Which one of yours takes the cake?

Weblinks

»	Check out the official web site for Awkward Moments with Men
»	Publisher's Book Info

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